Lamar men's basketball faces postseason ban

By Raymond A. Partsch III

Updated 9:04 am, Monday, May 12, 2014

Photo: Jake Daniels

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Lamar men's basketball coach Tic Price gives positions players in the midst of drills during practice. On Friday afternoon, Lamar University was informed by the NCAAâs Committee on Academic Performance that it has denied the schoolâs final appeal of a postseason ban on the menâs basketball team for the 2014-15 season.
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Lamar men's basketball coach Tic Price gives positions players in the midst of drills during practice. On Friday afternoon, Lamar University was informed by the NCAAâs Committee on Academic Performance ... more

Photo: Jake Daniels

Lamar men's basketball faces postseason ban

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The Lamar men's basketball program has been banned from postseason play.

The NCAA's Committee on Academic Performance informed university officials Friday afternoon that the school's final appeal of a postseason ban for the 2014-15 season had been denied.

In addition to not being eligible for postseason play, including the Southland Conference tournament, the Cardinals will have their practice days reduced from six days per week to five, and will be allowed only 16 hours of practice time per week, instead of the normally allowed 20.

"With everyone that I had talked to about the appeal, it was going to have to be something extraordinary for us to win the appeal," Henderson said. "A major hurricane or natural disaster is when they overturn a ban like this. Something short of that meant we weren't going to be granted a waiver."

The postseason ban stems from Lamar's coming up short in the minimum Academic Progress Report (APR) scores.

The NCAA's APR scores focus on a student-athlete's eligibility and retention. The scores are set up on a four-year rolling average consisting of a two-point system, one point for retention and one for remaining eligible toward a degree. To avoid penalties, teams must reach, and maintain a score of 930.

"The problems you run into with basketball is that a just small number of kids," Henderson said. "One kid makes a big difference in a sport like basketball. One or two kids make a huge swing."